Griffon Spitfire was better than any Bf109?

[pbehn]

It didn't matter iff he 'sounded like a Brit speaking German', he had a rare ability for any test pilot in WWII, the ability to read firsthand and and fully comprehend German technical documentation and speak with captured Germands without the need of an interpreter who would not have any aeronautical background and would miss technical nuances.

I was simply pointing out that he didnt speak German like a native, he did speak very good German and knew the idioms of LW fighter pilots, which helped when he interviewed Goering.

 

[wuzak]

He became a test pilot because he was a very good pilot.
He became the go to guy for testing captured Axis aircraft because of his ability to read the documentation first hand.

He often wasn't the first to fly captured Axis aircraft.

 

[Snautzer01]

He often wasn't the first to fly captured Axis aircraft.

No but he was the man was telling how good or bad the airframe was. Many axis captured planes were flown by us or raf etc. He did too but made it science. And flown about all of them. It was, i think, for him not about bragg rights. That is why the man was great. And a ridiculous good pilot.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Brown was one of only 24 survivors from the ship.

How much insight would the Allies have lost had he not been amongst those few!

 

[pbehn]

How much insight would the Allies have lost had he not been amongst those few!

He was arrested by the Germans when war broke out, his career could have ended before it started. From wiki (but I have heard him recount the tale himself)
In the meantime, Brown had been selected to take part as an exchange student at the Schule Schloss Salem, located on the banks of Lake Constance, and it was while there in Germany that Brown was woken up with a loud knocking on his door one morning in September 1939. Upon opening the door he was met by a woman with the announcement that "our countries are at war". Soon afterwards, Brown was arrested by the SS. However, after three days' incarceration, they merely escorted Brown in his MG Magnette sports car to the Swiss border, saying they were allowing him to keep the car because they "had no spares for it".[8]​[11]​

His life was real boys own stuff, if made into a movie it would hardly be believable. ​

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

He was arrested by the Germans when war broke out, his career could have ended before it started. From wiki (but I have heard him recount the tale himself)
In the meantime, Brown had been selected to take part as an exchange student at the Schule Schloss Salem, located on the banks of Lake Constance, and it was while there in Germany that Brown was woken up with a loud knocking on his door one morning in September 1939. Upon opening the door he was met by a woman with the announcement that "our countries are at war". Soon afterwards, Brown was arrested by the SS. However, after three days' incarceration, they merely escorted Brown in his MG Magnette sports car to the Swiss border, saying they were allowing him to keep the car because they "had no spares for it".[8]​[11]​

His life was real boys own stuff, if made into a movie it would hardly be believable. ​

What I know about him could be fit into a thimble, but I do know that he was an extraordinary flier who was able to size up an airplane on the quick. He also had keen thinking to apply to his reports, I gather.

 

[Reluctant Poster]

No one is being harsh, merely correcting the facts.
He joined the FAA as a pilot in 1939 at a time the FAA was a pool of very mediocre pilots thanks to the RAF's pre war policy of sending the last names on pilot applicant selections list to the Fleet Air Arm.

Yes, he was an outstanding pilot, and quickly stood out, but a trip to RAE to test into service new types in 1942 was not some mark of stellar ability - plenty of good combat pilots went there to bring new types into service - it was a great strength of both the UK and US - very good pilots were rotated out of combat to training schools, OCU's and as test pilots to pass on their skill rather than relentlessly flying in the front line until they died. It was quite usual for pilots who graduated top of their class in flight school to be posted straight to the flight school as an instructor rather to a combat squadron
.
His primary talent however was his ability to read and speak German fluently, so when they needed someone to test newly captured Axis types, he was a natural choice being able to read the technical literature first hand with a pilots mind.

Right man, with the right skills in the right place at the right time.

Very mediocre pilots. You try landing on an aircraft carrier

 

[Deleted member 68059]

Very mediocre pilots. You try landing on an aircraft carrier

 

[Reluctant Poster]

Very mediocre pilots. You try landing on an aircraft carrier

I would also point out that the airmanship displayed by the FAA pilots at night at Taranto and in unbelievably bad weather in the attacks on the Bismark was as good as it gets. These were NOT mediocre pilots.

 

[Reluctant Poster]

A very surprising amount

You offer a lot of "Facts" without producing any evidence.

 

[SaparotRob]

Heck, I do that all the time.

 

[Spindash64]

I believe he also made a (completely unauthorized) powered test flight of a Komet once

 

[don4331]

Yes, first landing of a twin if I remember right. Also required exceptional experience, skill, and a couple large anatomical pieces.

Not intending to take anything away from Mr. Brown, but the 1st landing of a twin on a carrier was done by a French pilot landing a Potez 56(E), aka 565, on NM Bearn on 22 September 1936. It was flown off later the same day. (I'm not sure if that was 1st take off by twin from carrier or not).

Not quite the same as landing a Mosquito, but the Potez was also a wood construction monoplane for what its worth.

Mr. Brown cost royal navy considerable amounts of copper and zinc for those anatomical pieces.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Not intending to take anything away from Mr. Brown, but the 1st landing of a twin on a carrier was done by a French pilot landing a Potez 56(E), aka 565, on NM Bearn on 22 September 1936. It was flown off later the same day. (I'm not sure if that was 1st take off by twin from carrier or not).

Not quite the same as landing a Mosquito, but the Potez was also a wood construction monoplane for what its worth.

Mr. Brown cost royal navy considerable amounts of copper and zinc for those anatomical pieces.

I believe Brown's takeoff and landing with a Mosquito from an aircraft carrier was a first for a twin engine combat aircraft. A Potez 565 was landed on the aircraft carrier Béarn on 22 September 1936 and it later took off from the same carrier. The Potez was an unarmed transport aircraft.

 

[Shortround6]

Not quite the same as landing a Mosquito, but the Potez was also a wood construction monoplane for what its worth.

Not worth much

Pair of 185 HP engines?
Airspeed Envoy.

Wooden 6-8 passenger light twins were not exactly rare in the early/mid 30s
Getting a just over 6,000lb aiplane with 330sq ft ft of wing or more on and off a carrier deck wasn't all that hard either.

 

[Shortround6]

The French were trying to build two combat twins in 1939-40 but never got them to a carrier deck.
But..........

D. 750 and the C.A.O. 600

despite being 3 seat aircraft used a pair of 500 and 680hp engines respectively and were a bit under and bit over 10,000lbs respectively even with a torpedo.

A bit different that trying to fly a Mosquito on and off a carrier deck.

 

[GrauGeist]

The USN was conducting trails with a navalized Lockheed Electra (XJO3) aboard the Lexington in 1939, of course, it wasn't a combat aircraft.

 

[Reluctant Poster]

Did the Grumman XF5F land on a carrier?

 

[GrauGeist]

Did the Grumman XF5F land on a carrier.

Not that I recall.

Development was taking too long and the project was stopped in order to work in the XF7F.

A fun bit of trivia:
The Royal Navy's Airacobra made more carrier landings (one) than the USN's Airabonita (none).

And three guesses (two don't count) as to who was flying the RN's Airacobra!

 

[SaparotRob]

Biggles!